Do Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 (NKJV)
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion), And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]? Micah 6:8 (Amplified Bible, AMP)
Human, the Lord has told you what goodness is. This is what he wants from you: Be fair to other people. Love kindness and loyalty, and humbly obey your God. Micah 6:8 (Easy-to-Read Version, ERV)
Have you ever wondered exactly what God expects of you? The Prophet Micah states it pretty clearly. I pulled it up in several versions just to make it plain for all of us to understand. According to the New King James Version, there are three main things we should aim to do:
Do justly.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly with your God.
Do justly. Be fair and just to everyone you come in contact with. Be a living example of the golden rule- treating others in the same way you want to be treated. Don’t cheat or deceive anyone. Be honest and above board in all your dealings. In Proverbs 11:1, it says that false balance (dishonest scales) is an abomination to God, but that He delights in a just weight, or an accurate weight. In other words, God does not look kindly on underhanded methods in business. He expects justice and honesty.
Love mercy. Be merciful. Have a heart of kindness, compassion, love and loyalty. Extend grace to others. Do not reward people according to their actions, but according to lovingkindness. The Bible says in I Peter 4:8 that we are to maintain constant, unfailing love for one another because love covers and forgives a multitude of sins.
Walk humbly with your God. Live in obedience to God, knowing that you have not made yourself righteous, but that the sacrificial death of Jesus brought you into right relationship with God. We must never forget that we are nothing without God. When we remember that, it makes it a lot easier to do justly and love mercy.
Jesus did all three of these things. He walked in justice, compassion, and humility. Justice demanded that a price be paid for the sins of man, and He paid it. He had compassion on fallen mankind and humbled himself and became a servant to all. He is the perfect example of everything God expects of us. As we grow in Christlike character and maturity, these three things will become more and more evident in our lives. The mature beliver exhibits all three on a daily basis. Do you feel like you fall short? Don’t be condemned. None of has arrived at perfection, but as we follow Jesus, He is changing us, and more and more of His character is being worked out in our lives.
Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God.
